POLITICO EXCLUSIVE: OBAMA TO RELEASE CAMPAIGN BOOKLET — The president’s campaign is set to release a 20-page booklet this morning outlining his jobs plan. In all, 3.5 million copies are being printed, with 1.5 million copies housed at field offices and the rest distributed via direct mail and at campaign events. It’s laid out like a magazine on 8 ½ by 11.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: D.C. CAUGHT OFF GUARD BY OBAMA SEQUESTER VOW — Obama startled Washington during last night’s foreign policy debate when he said billions in automatic Pentagon cuts “will not happen” — a line that could weaken his bargaining power during an epic spending and tax fight expected when Congress returns. That’s because his strongest bargaining chip for achieving his “balanced” solution is the threat of sequestration, which he may have just taken off the table.

After the debate, White House senior adviser David Plouffe toned down the president's remarks, saying that “everyone in Washington agrees that sequester ‘should not happen.’” Republicans jumped at the news, too. Sen. John McCain said the president is “not a dictator yet,” expressing surprise over the president’s prediction. And Rep. Buck McKeon added: “It is a nice line, but for more than a year the president hasn’t lifted a finger to avert the crisis.”

THE NARRATIVE: ‘MITT ROMNEY: I COME IN PEACE,’ by POLITICO’s Glenn Thrush — “Romney put his hawk on a leash. With an apparent eye toward continuing his gains with female voters, Romney soft-pedaled his once-tough line on Iran, barely talked about Libya and came ... close to articulating the ‘soft power’ Democratic doctrine rooted in international women’s rights, sanctions and avoiding new wars at all costs. … The third and final debate of the 2012 presidential election was supposed to be exclusively about foreign affairs. But it turned out to be as much about targeting women voters and the swing state of Ohio, with the optimistic GOP challenger taking a front runner’s ‘first do no harm’ approach — the same tack that hobbled Barack Obama in the first debate three weeks ago.” http://politi.co/Pnl2qq

TWITTER ABUZZ OVER ‘BAYONETS’ — Tweets per minute peaked after Obama’s “horses and bayonets” line, with 105,767 Tweets per minute in the immediate aftermath — the highest point of the debate, according to POLITICO’s Katie Glueck. Here’s what Obama said, responding to Romney saying he’d reduce the size of the Navy: “Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military has changed.”

Some, though, were not amused. Tweeted Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell: “President Obama’s comment about ‘horses and bayonets’ was an insult to every sailor who has put his or her life on the line for our country.” More here: http://politi.co/PNUkqR

HAPPY TUESDAY AND WELCOME TO MORNING DEFENSE, where the debate had us scratching our heads: Apparently it’s Romney who supports a robust foreign aid program to bolster Middle Eastern economies and Obama who thinks the deficit is a “national security concern.” Send your debate head-scratchers, along with tips and feedback, to awright@politico.com, and follow us on Twitter @ morningdefense, @ abwrig and @ POLITICOPro

McHUGH AT AUSA: WE’RE STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW SEQUESTER WOULD WORK — The Army secretary said yesterday service officials are trying to understand how sequestration might affect the department — but he added that does not mean the Army is actually planning for it to take effect. “The exercise we are in is to begin to understand what flexibilities we have,” John McHugh said. “We have to define what options we may or may not have within the existing sequestration law, then you’ve got to begin to stack and prioritize.”

AUSA DAY 1: TOP 3 MOMENTS --

#1. THE BLUE-GREEN TEAM: McHugh doesn’t normally use a wheelchair, so when he appeared in one to address AUSA attendees for his keynote address yesterday morning, he knew he first had to answer the question in every audience members’ mind: What happened? McHugh said he thought about saying he’d made a hard landing after a jump with the Golden Knights, the Army’s parachute demonstration team, or that he’d made a bad breach into a target building while competing in the Best Ranger contest. But ultimately he said he had to come clean.

“I have to be honest with you — there’s no cool way to say it — I fell off my bicycle,” McHugh said. “It was a humbling moment, and if that wasn’t enough, my dear friend and colleague [Navy Secretary] Ray Mabus came to my bedside and gave me a gift certificate for a set of training wheels. ... I just want Ray to know someday soon, I hope I’ll return the favor. Maybe if he falls off one of his cute little boats I can throw him a life raft. Maybe.”

#2. THE SINGING SOLDIERS: AUSA saw the Department of Veterans Affairs’ motivational “Patton” video and raised it a musical pageant of singing soldiers. Starting with a Continental Army soldier (in period uniform) with a Justin Bieber-style telephone mic — and then going to Civil War, World War II and present-day troops — the Army sang its way through its own history yesterday morning. Morning D can only pray that WaPo’s Walter Pincus — no fan of the military services’ thousands of musicians — was not in attendance.

#3. WHERE’S THE BEER? The downstairs exhibit hall was pretty cleared out by 5 p.m. The one big exception was the swarm of attendees surrounding U.K.-based Hesco’s booth, which was serving Budweiser at an open donation-only bar.

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TRIVIA TIME — In last night’s debate, Romney said, “Our Navy is smaller now than at any time since 1917.” How many active ships were in the Navy in 1917? For the answer, read on.

WHAT PROS ARE READING:

-- SHYU: FLEXIBILITY WOULD EASE CUTS’ BLOW — The key sequestration question for the Army is the level the deep automatic spending cuts would hit, the Army’s acquisition chief said yesterday at AUSA. “If it’s at the program-element level, it’s going to have significant devastation to us,” Shyu said in an interview. Kate has the story: http://politico.pro/PmUHsr

-- MORE TALK, NO TRACTION, ON ‘PEACE DIVIDEND’ — POLITICO’s Burgess Everett reports: “Obama’s plan to wind down overseas wars and use the savings to invest in the country’s beleaguered infrastructure makes for good politics and a crisp sound bite. But the ‘peace dividend’ has gone nowhere in Congress.” More here, including a breakdown of how much in current war costs could be diverted to infrastructure spending in the coming years: http://politico.pro/QPSYXr

PELOSI MOVE FUELS SPECULATION — The House minority leader’s decision to delay House leadership elections until after Thanksgiving has Democratic insiders wondering whether she’s going to retain her position, according to POLITICO’s Jake Sherman, John Bresnahan and Anna Palmer. From their story: “Insiders say Pelosi’s move means one of two things: She’s getting out of leadership and wants to give someone else a chance to organize a movement against Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the long-time number two; or she’s simply buying time to consider her future if Democrats fall short of the majority.” The dirt: http://politi.co/QCNXUi

WHO’S WHERE WHEN —

8:30 a.m.: Army Secretary John McHugh and Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno speak at a congressional staffers breakfast at AUSA.

10 a.m.: Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Talley, chief of the Army Reserve, speaks at an Army Reserve Seminar at AUSA.

10 a.m.: Lt. Gen. Francis Wiercinski, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific, speaks at a contemporary military forum at AUSA.

2:30 p.m.: Lt. Gen. William Ingram Jr., director of the Army National Guard, speaks at a seminar at AUSA.

2:30 p.m.: Lt. Gen. Rhett Hernandez, commanding general of U.S. Army Cyberspace Command, speaks at a contemporary military forum at AUSA.

2:30 p.m.: Heidi Shyu, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, speaks at a contemporary military forum at AUSA.

LOCKHEED MARKETING LCS-LIKE SHIP TO GLOBAL CUSTOMERS — The company announced yesterday it would be “leveraging experience gained through the LCS program to offer a Multi-Mission Combatant for navies worldwide.” Press release: http://bit.ly/WF3Y0S

MAKING MOVES — Northrop Grumman has named retired Navy Capt. Robert “Brick” Nelson to be the company’s corporate lead executive in San Diego. Nelson was previously director of business development for Northrop Grumman’s Unmanned Systems division.

SPEED READ —

-- ‘GUILTY PLEA IN WORKS OVER CIA LEAK,’ by POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein: “Former Central Intelligence Agency officer John Kiriakou, who’s accused of disclosing the identities of colleagues who interrogated suspected terrorists, may be on the verge of offering a guilty plea in the case. On Monday afternoon, an entry was added to the electronic docket of the federal court in Alexandria, Va., for a ‘change of plea’ hearing at 11 a.m. Tuesday before U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema.” http://politi.co/OXTqa1

-- ‘ORE. LAWMAKERS WANT ANSWERS ON TRICARE CHANGES,’ by Patricia Kime of Military Times: “An Oregon lawmaker has asked the Pentagon’s top doctor to explain why military retirees and family members in his district will lose access to Tricare Prime starting next April. After hearing last week that the Defense Department will stop offering Tricare Prime in Oregon and several other areas in the Tricare West region in 2013, Republican Rep. Greg Walden fired off a letter to Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Jonathan Woodson on Oct. 18 asking for confirmation and urging him to publicly announce the move.” http://bit.ly/TcenOX

PRO TRIVIA TONIGHT — POLITICO’s Patrick Gavin and Pro’s Tony Romm will be teeing up questions tonight on all things policy, politics and D.C. Pros can RSVP with their teams of four to eholman@politico.com

TRIVIA ANSWER — In 1917, the Navy had about 245 active ships, compared to about 285 today, according to PolitiFact. More here: http://bit.ly/Tv8Pkw

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Authors:

About The Author

Austin Wright is a senior defense reporter based at the Pentagon covering budget, policy and national security issues. He has been with POLITICO since 2011 and was previously a web producer and author of the widely read newsletter Morning Defense.

Before POLITICO, Wright worked for National Defense magazine, interned at The Chronicle of Higher Education and taught sixth-grade English at Kramer Middle School in Washington.

Wright hails from Richmond, Va., and graduated in 2009 from the College of William and Mary, where he was editor of the student newspaper, The Flat Hat. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Leanne, and their dog, Kernel.